Netflix is expanding its extensive catalog almost daily with many exciting titles. Today is no different – and especially on the first of the month there are always a lot of new additions. With “Ad Astra – To the Stars”, the streaming service with the big red N sends you on an interstellar odyssey, in which Brad Pitt (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”) not only deals with lunar pirates, but also with the origins of electromagnetic storms. The result is a mix of “Gravity” and “Interstellar” in breathtaking images.
In the official FILMSTARTS review, “Ad Astra” received an extremely strong 4 out of 5 possible stars. Finally, our editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen points out that individual elements may seem familiar, “but ultimately the film is thoroughly unique, thanks in large part to James Gray’s idiosyncratic pacing. As a cinema or science fiction fan, you should definitely give it a tryalthough in the end the film will certainly not be suitable for everyone.”
That’s what “Ad Astra” is all about
Astronaut and aerospace engineer Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is a classic loner. At work he is always very concentrated, but privately he hardly knows how to build a real bond. 30 years ago, his father Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) went on a mission to search for extraterrestrial life – but contact was lost after a few years. No one really knows what became of Clifford and his crew, who last orbited Neptune.
When Earth is ravaged by electromagnetic storms from space, the responsible space agency turns to Roy and reveals that there may be a connection between the storms and his father’s disappearance. Roy has to send a message into space in the hope that his father will respond. But for that, Roy has to go into space himself, since the message cannot be sent from Earth…
In addition to “Ad Astra”, there is another exciting Netflix newcomer that we would like to briefly introduce to you:
Marvel supplies from the retro drawer
Of course, when we think of Marvel these days, the first thing that comes to mind is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has just started its fifth phase with “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania”. Many years before that, however, there were also Marvel adaptations. For example, “The Incredible Hulk” from 1977, which is now available as a subscription on Netflix. This is the pilot for the cult TV series The Incredible Hulk, where Lou Ferrigno played the green maniac (no CGI, just pure brawn!).
The Incredible Hulk is the first live-action adaptation of the Hulk comics. As I said, not only Lou Ferrigno is seen here for the first time as a superhero bursting with power, but also Bill Bixby, who plays Dr. David Banner took over. If you are now watching the pilot on Netflix and then want to watch the entire series, you can buy the Blu-ray box (including the pilot film) from online retailers such as Amazon:
Also new on Netflix
Besides “Ad Astra – To the Stars” and “The Incredible Hulk”, there are a few other new releases on Netflix today. These include:
“What doesn’t fit is made to fit” by Peter Thorwarth. This is the second part of the so-called Unna trilogy, which is completed by “Bang Boom Bang” and “Goldene Zeiten”. In “GI Joe – Secret Mission Cobra” from “The Mummy” creator Stephen Summers, Channing Tatum embarks on an action-packed adventure, while the animated film “Ritter Trenk” offers loving entertainment especially for little viewers. In addition, you can now also stream ‘The Circle’ with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, ‘Today you sleep with me’ or ‘Merkel – Power of Freedom’ on Netflix.